The Hawaii HIDTA region is one of the most significant cannabis cultivation
and marijuana production areas in the nation. According to Domestic Cannabis
Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) data, Hawaii consistently ranks among
the top states for the total number of cannabis plants eradicated each year.
(See Table 1.) However, as a result of successful law
enforcement aerial surveillance and eradication efforts, DCE/SP data show that
the number of cannabis plants seized from outdoor grows in the HIDTA region has
declined over the last 5 years. Successful outdoor eradication efforts have
resulted in some growers moving their operations indoors; consequently, the
number of indoor grows has increased. On average, indoor grow sites typically
average fewer plants than outdoor grows. (See Tables 2 and
3.)

Cannabis has been cultivated outdoors in Hawaii for decades because the
tropical climate is conducive to year-round cultivation. Law enforcement
reporting indicates that most outdoor cannabis cultivation takes place on the
islands of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu, particularly on State Division of Land
and Natural Resources lands in Hawaii and Maui Counties. (See
Figure 3.) Controlling cultivation in these areas is particularly
challenging for law enforcement because of the vast tracts of unincorporated
land available for hiding cannabis plants among native vegetation. Outdoor
cultivation operations are conducted primarily by local Asian and Polynesian
DTOs as well as some Caucasian groups, including those that have relocated to
Hawaii from the U.S. mainland.

Kauai law enforcement officers conducting a routine aerial surveillance of state land in the mountainous terrain of the Blue Hole area at the foot of Mt. Waialeale observed a large number of cannabis plants growing between the trees and other vegetation. Further investigation revealed thousands of cannabis plants growing near the base of the mountain. In September 2007 law enforcement officers arrested five individuals and seized more than 6,000 plants--making this the largest outdoor cannabis grow operation ever prosecuted in the state of Hawaii. The street value of the plants was estimated to be nearly $6 million, with each plant conservatively yielding approximately $1,000 worth of processed marijuana.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office, District of Hawaii,
press release dated September 4, 2007.

Indoor cannabis cultivation sites in Hawaii range in size from a single
closet to entire houses or larger buildings converted into sophisticated grow
operations. Some indoor grow sites have been relocated to residences or
outbuildings on land formerly used for outdoor cannabis cultivation. Indoor
cannabis cultivators typically use advanced growing techniques that include
lighting, irrigation systems, chemical fertilizers, and plant cloning.4 Indoor
growers prefer the controlled environment because they can avoid intensified
outdoor eradication efforts while, at the same time, achieving higher profits
through a year-round cultivation season by turning out a new crop of
high-potency marijuana every 90 days. Some indoor cultivators bypass electric
meters to eliminate high energy-use readings, large electric bills, and possible
law enforcement scrutiny. Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers are
the primary producers of indoor, high-potency marijuana in the HIDTA region.
Local Hawaiians, Caucasian independents, and Asian organizations operate most
indoor grow sites in Hawaii.

Indoor grow sites pose considerable safety and health concerns for law
enforcement officers, first responders, and the general public. Buildings used
for indoor grow sites are fire hazards because of the presence of the chemical
fertilizers, high-intensity lighting, electrical equipment, and reconfigured
electrical systems. High levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide may also
be present at indoor grow sites as a result of damaged exhaust systems.
Moreover, the prolonged high humidity at indoor grow sites often results in the
growth of toxic molds.

According to law enforcement officials, some cannabis cultivators exploit
Hawaii's state medical marijuana laws to conduct illegal grow
operations--primarily on the Big Island. For example, in March 2008, Puna law
enforcement officers discovered an indoor cannabis grow while responding to a
911 call to a shooting incident. While looking for a victim, officers discovered
numerous cannabis plants growing on the rear portion of the property and
additional cannabis plants being cultivated inside the home. Eventually,
officers made contact with the alleged shooting victim, who was uninjured. The
next day officers obtained a search warrant for the property and recovered 95
cannabis plants. Sixty-four of the plants (some as large as 6 feet tall) were
recovered from the rear of the property, and 31 were recovered from an indoor
grow room that contained special lighting and other equipment. Officers also
secured several firearms and recovered nearly 5 pounds of dried, processed
marijuana, almost 24 grams of hashish oil, and 15.4 pounds of marijuana "budder."5
Additionally, officers recovered seven state of Hawaii medicinal marijuana
permits listing the address for the property.

Local retail-level traffickers typically convert powder cocaine to crack
cocaine on a limited basis in the Hawaii HIDTA region. Crack conversion by these
local distributors typically takes place at or near distribution sites on an
as-needed basis, usually in ounce quantities.

Local methamphetamine production in Hawaii is very limited and currently does
not pose a threat to the HIDTA region. This situation is largely a result of
successful law enforcement operations and the state of Hawaii's regulatory
efforts and point-of-sale restrictions to control precursor chemicals. According
to the National Seizure System (NSS), no methamphetamine production laboratories
or ice conversion laboratories6 were seized in the HIDTA region in 2007 or in the
first 3 months of 2008. Only 4 methamphetamine laboratories were seized in 2006,
9 in 2005, and 10 in 2004. One ice conversion laboratory was seized in 2006, and
6 were seized in both 2005 and 2004.

End Notes

4.
Plant cloning enables cannabis
cultivators to select higher-quality plants and avoid male/female pollination,
thereby raising potential THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) content. THC is the
psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Cloning a cannabis plant is accomplished by
simply taking a cutting of a select plant, allowing the cutting to sprout roots,
and then planting it as a seedling, thereby creating a plant of the same genetic
makeup as the parent plant.5.
Marijuana
budder, produced from hash oil, is an extremely potent substance
with high THC levels. It has the consistency of paste or wax and is typically
light yellow in color.6.
Methamphetamine
conversion laboratories are sometimes used by local
distributors to convert powder methamphetamine to ice methamphetamine or to
"clean up" ice methamphetamine that is of poor quality.